


The Roommate Agreement

by WritersLife4me



Category: K-pop, Monsta X (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Roommates/Housemates, Enemies to Friends, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-15
Updated: 2020-12-09
Packaged: 2021-02-27 04:48:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 16,410
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22191325
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WritersLife4me/pseuds/WritersLife4me
Summary: Hyungwon's freshman year of University is finally here. He knows there are many possible obstacles on the horizon but he is ready to face them all with his best friend Minhyuk by his side. But one unexpected change ruins his perfect plans.
Relationships: Chae Hyungwon & Im Changkyun | I.M, Chae Hyungwon & Lee Jooheon, Chae Hyungwon & Lee Minhyuk, Chae Hyungwon & Yoo Kihyun, Lee Minhyuk & Yoo Kihyun
Comments: 5
Kudos: 21
Collections: hyungwon fest





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hellow everyone! I am so excited to share another fic with you all! I've written this fic for Hyungwon fest and I'm really excited! Hope you'll like it!

Hyungwon was looking forward to the university orientation festivities, but he was unable to keep his eyelids open. A yawn escaped his mouth as he sat in the auditorium of Seocho University. After a few seconds, he gave in to his tiredness and rested his head against Minhyuk’s shoulder. If only he could take a quick nap, then he would be rested enough to stay awake.

Around them, incoming freshman chattered about orientation, the upcoming semester, and their excitement at being accepted to Seocho University. Seocho University was one of many prestigious universities in South Korea. He remembered how excited he was to be accepted. The university had a great literature program and he couldn’t wait to sit down with some good books.

Hyungwon glanced at his cell phone, his head still resting on Minhyuk’s shoulder. “I wish we didn’t have to come so early. Waking up for an 8.am. orientation on a Saturday is the last thing I wanted to do.”

“Well, if we had registered earlier maybe we could have chosen an afternoon time, but we were late,” Minhyuk said.

“At least the chairs are comfortable, I may be able to get in a quick nap,” Hyungwon said.

“You can’t sleep now. What if everything officially begins?” Minhyuk said. “Besides, I told you not to take that shift at the restaurant last night.”

Hyungwon knew his best friend was right. He shouldn’t have taken the shift, but he couldn’t help it. His co-worker, Namsoon, needed a favor so he agreed to working last night even though he had orientation in the morning. Of course, he regretted his decision, but it was all in the past. An older gentleman walked up the three steps on the right side of the stage. He walked toward the middle of the stage and then stopped.

“Welcome, future graduating class of 2023. I am one of the many professors you may meet at this fine institution and I’d like to start off with a small introduction our school.”

Hyungwon tried to pay attention to the professor on the stage, but it was difficult. His eyelids fluttered closed, his head resting heavily on Minhyuk’s shoulder. Perhaps, a super quick nap wouldn’t be a huge problem. His mind drifted away as he fell asleep.

~~

Hyungwon awoke, eyes wide. He sat up, searching his surroundings for the disturbance. He had been sleeping soundly until a distant yell interrupted his dreams. Beside him, Minhyuk snickered, displaying his amusement. He glanced at Minhyuk, frowning.

“Don’t give me that look,” Minhyuk said. “The orientation leaders could appear at any moment. I wonder what group we’ll be placed in.”

“As long as we don’t get separated the group doesn’t matter,” Hyungwon said.

“Agreed. We are a packaged deal.”

Hyungwon laughed as he shook his head. Before he could respond, his eyes drifted toward the stage. Ten individuals wearing bright yellow shirts walked up the small steps. Hyungwon noticed each shirt also had the name of the orientation leader underneath the school name. Some teens in the audience grew quiet while others continued talking with their friends. One of the orientation leaders stepped forward. His eyes zeroed in on the name Hyunwoo on the older student’s shirt.

“Hi, hello,” Hyunwoo greeted. “My name is Son Hyunwoo. I’m a fourth year, RA, and an Economics major. I’ve been an orientation leader for two year now. I’m happy to be back again. After the introductions, you’ll know which leader will be your guide today.”

“Wow, economics,” Minhyuk said.

Hyungwon nodded, equally amazed. Economics wasn’t an easy subject. He learned that the hard way when he almost didn’t take the course seriously in high school. His attention returned to the stage. The other orientation leaders introduced themselves and shared a little bit of information on stage.

After the last orientation leader, a petit sophomore girl, a loud energetic beat filtered from the speakers located at the end of each stage. All the leaders started to cheer and dance in place. Hyungwon glanced at Minhyuk who shrugged his shoulders. One orientation leader, a student by the name of Soo, stepped forward. His dark black hair was shaved off at the sides, a style Hyungwon had never tried before in his life.

“Alright everyone before we get started with the rest of orientation, we’ve prepared something for you all tonight. So, without further ado I want to reintroduce you to Son Hyunwoo aka Nunu. He has a special performance he wants to share with you all!”

Soon all the orientation leaders began to chant Nunu as Hyunwoo laughed, face slightly flushed from the attention. A small smile formed on Hyungwon’s face as he witnessed the display. Hyunwoo stepped forward as the music increased in intensity. As soon as the beat dropped, the lights switched off and a spotlight shined down upon Nunu as he began to dance. Hyungwon was a dancer himself, but he hadn’t seen such skills before. Nunu danced with so much ease. He was beyond impressed.

“Go Nunu!” Soo shouted. “Come on everyone let’s hype him up more!”

The rest of the audience started shouting Nunu as Hyunwoo continued to dance up a storm. Minhyuk on his right had begun to shout louder than the people around them. Hyungwon joined in, chanting Nunu at the top of his lungs, excited by the energy coming from others around him. Soon they were all on their feet, clapping and cheering the talented orientation leader on. Soon a few more lights switched on, shining down upon all the orientation leaders.

After the dancing, the rest of the leaders with the help of Hyunwoo’s guidance performed a choreographed dance as they sang an original song about the university. There had been a few stunning solos from Nunu and a girl named Jessica. Hyungwon didn't know orientation could be this fun. One of the orientation leaders did a spectacular backflip to end the performance.

The lights turned on and the rest of the orientation leaders grabbed bottled waters off stage and took large gulps. While they drank, Nunu stepped forward on the stage and started to talk about the rest of the day’s activities. He mentioned groups being assigned and Minhyuk gave him a knowing look. They had to be in a group together.

Hyunwoo explained the way the groups were chosen. Each orientation leader stepped forward and listed the members of their group. Hyungwon waited in anticipation. The selection process was based on order of orientation registration. Since Min and him registered last, then they would be in the same group, hopefully. Finally, Soo went last, listing their names. Hyungwon looked at Minhyuk. They were both relieved to have been placed in the same group. A few orientation leaders walked off the stage, holding printed images of their names. Some of the leaders remained on stage, waving their name signs in the air.

Hyunwoo looked around holding his own name sign high. “Okay, everyone please find your group.”

“Come on, let’s go,” Minhyuk said, reaching for Hyungwon’s hand.

Hyungwon nodded, following after his best friend. Orientation leader Soo, rested his back against the wall behind him, holding his name sign high. Other incoming freshmen gathered around Soo, chatting.

“Alright, I’m going to take a minute to look at the sheet and make sure everyone’s here. For those of you who haven’t, put your nametags on, okay? Please make sure to have your nametag on at all times, please,” he said, glancing at a paper in his hand and then at them. “ Okay, according to my sheet you are all here. Well we are going to have a lot of fun today, I promise. I know all the logistics and info can be boring, but we want you all to be well informed entering university. So, let’s listen well and it’ll go by fast.”

A teen with curly brown hair, raised a hand above his head. Hyungwon’s eyes fell upon the shorter teen, curious. He thought it was too early for questions, but the other boy must know something he didn’t. Their orientation leader made eye contact with the other freshman, a small smile on his face. A few of the other groups started to leave the auditorium. Hyungwon watched them, wondering when they would be leaving.

“You don’t have to raise your hand here,” Soo said. “I’m not a professor. Everyone feel free to yell your questions at me just try not to talk over each other.”

“Oh, I could never do that,” the teen said.

“Alright, that’s fine,” Soo said. “What is your question?”

“I was looking at the itinerary for the day and I noticed each presentation is about fifteen to twenty minutes long. I’m in the honors college and I have specific questions, but I don’t think I’ll have time to ask them with just fifteen to twenty minutes.”

Soo looked at him, scratching the back of his head. “I assure you there will be time at the end for questions. And plus, your parents will be receiving all the information. The goal of the rest of orientation is to give you time to mingle. We want you to be more comfortable as incoming freshmen.”

“I see, well I would prefer more time for important information. As an incoming freshman I want to make sure I have all the details before school starts.”

“Right, well I’ll do my best to make sure you acquire all the knowledge you need,” he said. “ Thank you for voicing your concerns, Kihyun.”

Kihyun gave the other a firm nod, adjusting his golden glasses. “I’m sure there are many others who wish to have the same questions answered.”

“I agree, so thank you for bringing this to my attention,” Soo said.

Soo gave him a warm smile and then started to give a brief explanation of the plans. Hyungwon turned to Minhyuk, a look on his face. He tried his best not to comment on Kihyun’s words. Personally, he thought short info sessions were better than long ones. He was certain he could get enough information from a ten-minute meeting. He pushed his thoughts aside and started to walk when their group began to move.

After a few minutes, they arrived at the Student Id Card office just as another large group exited. Hyungwon spotted the talented dancer from before. Orientation leader Nunu stopped to chat with Soo. They discussed something in hushed whispers that resulted in Soo letting out an obnoxious laugh. Nunu grinned and started to walk by but before he passed, he waved at Kihyun and then kept walking.

Minhyuk turned to him, a curious expression on his face. “They must know each other.”

Hyungwon shrugged. “I guess.”

“Alright everyone, gather around, come closer,” Soo called, running fingers through his hair. “Now you all are going to get id cards right now. It comes with your fees so no need to bring out your wallets. Who wants to get their special one of a kind student id first? Anyone? Don’t be shy.”

A petite girl in a pink skirt and white shirt stepped forward, entering the office. The office was quite large and was able to fit the rest of them. There was a large waiting area with soft cushiony seats. He sat next to Minhyuk. Once they took a seat, Soo passed out complementary canvas totes with the school logo to all the students. Inside the totes were packets of information about financial aid, the meal plan, housing, and other important details about the university.

From his periphery he spotted, Kihyun seated, hunched over some packet, nibbling at his bottom lip and playing with the string of his baby blue hoodie. He shook his head. He expected the other teen to read all the information in the bag. Hyungwon didn’t plan to look at the information till he was comfortably in his own home. School didn’t start for another month. There was no reason to stress too much. But he guessed some people didn’t think the same which he understood.

Once the line died down, Hyungwon got up and took his photo. After the photo, he followed his friend out the door toward their group where a few freshmen already begun to chat like old friends. Soo texted on his cell phone, scratched his clothed stomach as he smiled. Hyungwon slipped his cell phone out of his pocket and glanced at the time and groaned. It had only been an hour.

“Hey, at the end of orientation there is some kind of mini tournament. The different groups will go against each other. That sounds like fun,” Minhyuk said.

“Do we win something?”

Minhyuk reread the description of the tournament, a frown on his face.

“No prize. Well, that’s boring. But at least the games might be fun.”

Hyungwon nodded. He was curious about the tournament and was interested in the games. He glanced at the itinerary in Minhyuk’s hand, curious about what was next. He frowned at the sight of financial aid. He expected the next stop to be the most boring of them all. His parents didn’t want to take out a loan, so they worked many hours to help him pay his school fees. Hyungwon got his job over the summer to help out with paying. Luckily, he was able to get a small scholarship from a writing competition he won a few months before orientation. A small smile came to his face at the memory. The essay about ‘his hopes for the future’ had been his best work.

“Come on Wonnie, pay attention,” Minhyuk said, poking at his shoulder.

Hyungwon shook his head. “Don’t call me that here.”

Minhyuk pouted, bottom lip jutting out. “What? I can’t call you that anymore?”

Hyungwon sighed, eyes on his friend’s face. “ Okay, forget what I said.”

The financial aid talk was given in the large auditorium from earlier. He saw other freshmen seated and ready for the talk. He guessed it was one of the only presentations that all of them had to attend at the same time. A woman in a soft beige suit stepped on the stage and began to discuss the importance of applying for scholarships throughout their university career. A familiar ping caught his attention. He glanced at Minhyuk.

“Joo sent me a meme,” he stated, turning his phone screen toward him.

Hyungwon laughed at the image of a pouting child holding a sign that said I hate Mondays. Jooheon their younger friend had always been a fan of memes. They were in a year before him so when they graduated Jooheon complained for weeks about his impending loneliness after their graduation. Hyungwon suggested he could hang out with Changkyun his younger brother, but Jooheon refused. He wished his friend and brother would get over their misunderstanding from years ago.

“Excuse me.”

Hyungwon looked up from the phone screen and glanced at a curly haired teen looking at them over his chair. He frowned, realization coming to him. The boy looking at them asked the questions earlier. He gazed at him, confused. Why was he turned around in his chair?

“Could you both please keep your voices low?” he asked. “You may not care about funding your education, but I do. And I can’t hear because you both are laughing.”

“I’m sorry. Our friend sent a meme,” Minhyuk said, showing his screen to the glasses wearing teen.

Kihyun took one look at the screen and then narrowed his eyes at them. “Please stop laughing. I’m trying to take notes.”

“Notes? Are we being quizzed?” Minhyuk asked.

Kihyun glared at each of them and turned back around in his seat. Minhyuk frowned, and then looked at him. Hyungwon didn’t know what to say. No one else had called them out, but this guy thought he needed to. They weren’t even being that loud, their voices were barely above a whisper. He glared at the back of Kihyun’s head, lips pressed into a thin line.

“Huh, I guess he doesn’t like memes.”

Hyungwon snorted at the response. He glanced at his phone and sent his brother a quick text reminding him he’d be home later in the afternoon.

~~

Lunch time came around and he was ready to eat. The dining hall was located several minutes away from the student center, so they all had to get on the bus. The trip to the dining hall was fairly loud. Many of the other freshmen were chatting about all the events coming up on the schedule. There was a large freshmen welcome party the weekend after the first week of classes. Minhyuk turned to him, grinning.

“I’m excited to party. I heard university parties are a lot more fun than high school ones.”

“We didn’t go to many parties in high school. You barely have anything to compare university parties to,” Hyungwon said.

“Still, I’m excited.”

The bus stopped and Soo stood up, announcing they were at the East Han dining hall. Hyungwon’s stomach grumbled right on cue. He flushed at the loud obnoxious noise and got up when it was time for them to leave. As they entered the dining hall, he saw several other students of varying ages eating and chatting amongst themselves. Only a few of the students took a look at their large group.

“Alright you all have a whole hour to eat and converse. I’ll be sitting here eating. Feel free to come chat with me about any concerns. If nothing comes to mind, then have fun getting to know each other. Oh, and start thinking about what you want our group name to be. We are competing against the other groups. I’m totally gonna beat Nunu this year. Like I have to beat him this year!”

Soo smiled and then took a seat at the table, getting back on his phone. Hyungwon followed Minhyuk to the line and grabbed some chicken, rice, and kimchi. He then took a seat at the table with his friend. Memories of the previous moments came to mind as he chewed, savoring the taste of chicken.

“I just don’t get it,” Hyungwon said. “That Kihyun guy has been ‘shhing’ us all day.”

Minhyuk shook his head. “Not all day really. But I will say we weren’t being as loud as he thought we were being. It is getting a little annoying.”

Hyungwon agreed. “I’m so tired of it.”

Minhyuk snickered, resting a hand on Hyungwon’s shoulder. “Well it’s a big university. I don’t think we are going to run into him again.”

“You are right I shouldn’t be worried about him. It is just that he is so—”

“Uptight?”

“If Jooheon was here, he would totally tell him he needs to chill and just vibe, you know?”

Minhyuk snorted, and then sighed.

“I wish Jooheon was here.”

Hyungwon placed his chopsticks on his plate. “Yeah.”

“He needs to hurry up and graduate so we can be the terrific trio again,” Minhyuk said.

“Jooheon has a whole year left.”

Minhyuk shook his head. “That’s no excuse. He needs to hurry up.”

Hyungwon rolled his eyes at the serious expression on Minhyuk’s face. They had met Jooheon when they were juniors. Jooheon had been a nervous, lost freshman in high school. They had invited him to have a seat at lunch. Ever since then they had become close friends. It had been destiny.

“Well, Joo, will be graduating in no time. Besides, he may not even come to this school after he graduates.”

“I highly doubt that, Wonnie. I know our Joo will graduate and apply to this university, “ Minhyuk said. “Anyway, are you up for dessert?”

Hyungwon looked at the dessert table and then nodded, pushing away his barely eaten meal. He would have some dessert and forget about the annoying teen in their orientation group. No, he wouldn’t worry about the other boy. Instead, he would focus on the fun time he was having at orientation with his best friend.

A chocolate chip cookie on a plate called to him so he grabbed it from the dessert table. As he walked back to sit with his friend, he spotted Orientation leader Nunu sitting with Kihyun. It seemed like they were having a serious discussion. Hyungwon turned away, giving them privacy. It wasn’t any of his business. He walked back to his friend and took a seat.

~~

Hyungwon cackled as he ran away from Minhyuk. He glanced over his shoulder at his soaked friend, a small smile on his lips. The tournament had just finished not too long ago. There had been many fun games to participate in. His favorite were the relay and the water bucket passing game. Unfortunately, their team lost the tournament. Soo did his best to seem like he wasn’t disappointed but Hyungwon noticed. Despite the disappointment, Soo was a great sport and congratulated Nunu’s team.

Hyungwon pushed aside his thoughts about the tournament so he could focus on running. He probably shouldn’t have poured a bucket of water on Minhyuk at the end of the games. The student center came into view and he was eager to get away from his impending doom. He pushed the doors open and ran inside. He slowed down once he reached the middle of the cafeteria in the student center.

He turned around, hands raised in defense. “Wait! Min! Wait”

As soon as Min stopped moving, he placed his hands upon his knees, taking a few large gulps of air.

“Okay,” Hyungwon said. “Okay, no more running. I’m tired.”

“How could you?” Min said, annoyed. “I don’t even have another change of clothes. I’m drenched.”

“I’m sorry,” Hyungwon said, shoulders falling. “You are right. I should have thought about that.”

Minhyuk eyed him for a second and then a bright smile fell across his lips. Hyungwon sighed, relieved. He had been friends with Minhyuk too long for them to have any serious friendship ending fights.

“It’s okay, really,” Minhyuk said. “I don’t like being soaked like this but that’s okay. I’m not mad, more annoyed.”

“I am really sorry,” Hyungwon said. “Hey, how about this? I’ll buy you something to change into from the bookstore and I give you permission to get revenge.”

Minhyuk walked toward him, hands stuffed in his pockets, amusement shining from his eyes. “Oh, don’t worry, I will get my revenge.”

“Okay, I trust you won’t do anything too drastic. I think. Anyway, we should probably start going to the bookstore and then home,” Hyungwon said, walking backwards. “We have a long drive.”

Minhyuk nodded. “You are right. And for the record, I don’t need permission to—hey watch out!”

Hyungwon turned around just in time to crash into Kihyun. Instinctively, he reached out grabbing the other’s shoulders, trying to stabilize himself. His eyes widened at the sight of the other wincing from the impact. He should have looked where he was going.

Hyungwon looked at Kihyun, removing his hands from his shoulders. “Hey, I’m sorry about that. I probably should have been looking where I was going. I didn’t see you and—”

The shorter teen narrowed his eyes, arms crossed over his chest. “What do you mean you didn’t see me? Don’t you have eyes? Or is it because I’m so short? I’ll have you know I’m average height. You on the other hand are a giant that should know walking backwards is never a good idea. I mean only an idiot would walk backwards.”

Hyungwon tilted his head, confused. He didn’t remember making a comment about the other boy’s height. He crossed his arms, mirroring the other’s body posture. The other teen seemed too angry about their accidental encounter. Yes, Hyungwon shouldn’t have been walking backwards. But Kihyun didn’t have to be so rude about it.

“Look, I’m sorry once again for running into you. But I never said anything about your height that was you. And also, don’t call me an idiot.”

The sound of a cell phone ringing caught their attention. The shorter teen reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. He glared at him and then walked away, answering the call. Hyungwon glanced at Minhyuk, still very confused by what happened.

Minhyuk turned around. “Hey! You are really going to walk away after calling my friend an idiot?”

Kihyun raised a single hand above his head, giving them a small, short barely enthusiastic wave as a response.

“What just happened?” Hyungwon asked.

Minhyuk shrugged. “I don’t know but let’s not worry about it. Come on.”

Hyungwon nodded following after his friend. After a stop at the bookstore and then the bathroom, they walked toward the adjacent parking deck. Once they entered Minhyuk’s car, he began discussing their move in plans. He was excited to have his good friend as a roommate.

“We’re going to have so much fun,” Minhyuk said, eyes sparkling. “You and I are going to have the best first semester of college ever.”

Hyungwon agreed. He couldn’t wait to share this new experience with his best friend. A stray thought passed his mind as they pulled out of the parking lot. He wished he knew why that Kihyun guy was so uptight. He promised he wouldn’t think about it, but it was hard.

“I just,” Hyungwon said, watching the university move further away as Minhyuk drove. “Why is he so uptight, Min?”

Minhyuk sighed, focused on the road.

“I never even mentioned his height.”

Minhyuk chuckled and then spoke. “I don’t know, Wonnie. He was being ridiculous. Perhaps, Kihyun isn’t having a very good day. Maybe he is tired. I mean 8 a.m. is pretty early. Maybe he isn’t a morning person. You get grumpy early in the morning too, you know?”

“No, I don’t I—”

Minhyuk stopped at a red light and then glanced at him.

Hyungwon glanced at his friend. “Okay, I’ve had my moments, but still I don’t get it. And why are you taking his side? You don’t’ know him?”

“Hey, I’m not taking his side. He indirectly called you an idiot and didn’t accept your apology. He is kind of annoying.”

“I mean it was orientation and most people were excited. Most of us were having a good time well he wasn’t. I think I barely even saw that guy smile once. He just seemed so tense the entire time,” Hyungwon said.

Minhyuk hummed in response, pulling onto the highway.

“He must have been nervous or something,” Hyungwon said, thinking out loud. “Yeah, that’s it. I’m just going to say that, so I’ll forget about how rude he was for no reason.”

“Sounds like a good plan,” Minhyuk said, amused. “Can we talk about something else now?”

Hyungwon nodded. “Yeah, sorry.”

“It’s fine. Are you coming over for dinner?” Minhyuk asked.

Hyungwon glanced at his friend and then sent a quick text on his phone. “I’m asking my parents right now.”

“Great.”

A yawn escaped his lips as he turned his attention toward the scenery outside the window. In a month, they would be university students. After years of difficult courses and late-night study sessions they finally made it. As the car traveled at a steady pace down the highway, Hyungwon relaxed in his seat. Minhyuk was right. They were going to have the best time as roommates. And he couldn’t wait.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hyungwon was ready to move in.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! Here is a new update! I'm excited to share the second chapter of my fic with you.

Hyungwon ran his fingers through his hair, frustrated by the long line of cars in front of him. He wished he had come the first day of move in, but he had been unlucky. His boss forgot the days he requested off and put him on the schedule. After a few seconds, the cars in front moved a single inch. He resisted the urge to curse.

“Being mad isn’t going to make us move any faster, hyung.”

He glanced at his younger brother, Changkyun. “Why did I bring you?”

“Because mom and dad work too much, and you needed extra muscle.”

“Muscle, right,” he said, amused. “Well, thank you for taking time out of your busy high school life for me.”

“Of course, you know I’m here for you,” Changkyun said, avoiding his eyes.

Hyungwon grinned, shoving his brother’s shoulder. “Don’t worry, Kyunnie. I’ll be back for all major holidays. ”

“Good,” Changkyun said. 

The cars in the front moved another inch forward, allowing him to drive forward a little. A groan left his lips as he turned his attention to the laughing clown in the seat next to him. His brother was always ready to laugh at his misery.

“Stop laughing or I’ll make you walk,” Hyungwon said.

“I’ll just call mom and dad and tell them you made me walk,” he said, a single brow raised, daring him to try.

Hyungwon rolled his eyes at the statement, turning his attention back to the front. He noticed the large gap in front of him. It seemed like the traffic was moving a lot faster. He pressed against the gas and maneuvered his car across the road toward their destination.

He was glad his brother was accompanying him despite how annoying he can be. His father said he planned to pick his younger brother up after work. But until 7.pm. Changkyun was his responsibility.

An hour later they pulled into the parking lot for West Han Hall, also known as the new freshmen dorms. He spotted several familiar faces on the sidewalk in front of the dorms waving at the cars that drove by. He spotted Soo, Nunu, and a few other orientation leaders lined up. A large grin spread across his lips at the enthusiastic smiles on all their faces.

Hyungwon parked his car in an open spot and exited the car. Changkyun left his car seconds later, texting on his cell phone. Hyungwon shook his head, not at all surprised. Hyungwon stuck his hand into his back pocket and then took a quick look at his cell phone. He hadn’t heard from Minhyuk all day.

He remembered how his best friend wanted to move in the same time as him, but Hyungwon disagreed. Minhyuk shouldn’t have to wait for him. It would be better if one of them was already on campus that way move in wouldn’t be too difficult. Minhyuk ended up moving in earlier in the morning.

He collected his materials at check-in, grabbed a large bin, and headed back to the car with his brother. He was ready to get his things moved in. There was so much of the campus he still needed to explore, and he couldn’t wait. He popped open his trunk and started packing things into the deep bin.

He didn’t bring too much on move in day, only the essentials. He didn’t want to carry too much when it was just his brother and him. He had hoped Minhyuk would be available, but he guessed his friend’s phone was dead. He chuckled. Sometimes Minhyuk failed to charge his phone.

His room was on the fourth floor, so he entered the elevator alongside a few freshmen he remembered from orientation. He greeted them as they exited the elevator. Changkyun glanced at his phone, pressing the buttons repeatedly. He sighed. Part of him wondered if Changkyun was going to be helpful. Once they arrived on the correct floor, he told his brother the room number and watched him run ahead of him. Hyungwon paused, searching for his key in his pocket.

“Hey, hyung, who is Yoo Kihyun?”

“Who?"

Hyungwon pushed the bin as he walked closer to the correct door. His eyes wandered to the door, a frown upon his lips. He glanced at his own name and then the name Yoo Kihyun. It didn’t make sense. Minhyuk’s name was supposed to be on the door. He took one more look at the door, hoping the name would magically change to his best friend’s.

“Uhm, so are we going to go in, hyung?” Changkyun asked, leaning on the wall by the door.

Hyungwon stuck his key into the lock and pushed the door open. The room was fairly small which he expected. During orientation they had a chance to take a peek at a dorm room. He analyzed the two twin sized beds, noticing a desk between them. His eyes drifted toward the left side of the room, noticing the door leading to the bathroom. Hyungwon and Minhyuk chose the newer Freshmen doors because there was private bathroom.

Changkyun entered the room, eyes wide. “Whoa, Yoo Kihyun must be super clean. Everything on his bed is folded so neatly like the department stores in the mall.”

“First of all, folding isn’t as amazing as you think. Stop acting like you’ve never seen clean before,” Hyungwon said.

Changkyun shook his head. “You throw your clothes around.”

“I do not.”

“Uhm, hello?”

Hyungwon turned his attention from his brother to the owner of the voice. His eyes widened as recognition came to him. Standing a few feet away from him was the annoying boy from orientation. He thought the name sounded familiar. Yoo Kihyun was the uptight honors college guy. But nothing made sense. Why was Yoo Kihyun in his room?

“Oh, Hi! Actually, it is kind of funny, but I think there is a huge mistake,” Hyungwon said, amusement in his voice. “See, I chose my roommate .Minhyuk is supposed to be here not you. It is really strange seeing you here. I wasn't expecting it."

Hurt shone from Kihyun’s eyes but vanished second later. Hyungwon opened his mouth to rephrase his wording but stopped himself. The pang of guilt formed at the bottom of his stomach, but he tried his best to ignore it. He shouldn’t feel bad because he wasn’t lying. There was a mistake.

Kihyun brushed past Hyungwon and walked toward his bed, collecting some of his folded clothes in his arms. “Well, we can have a talk with housing. I’m sure they’ll be able to figure out why this “huge mistake” happened. If I remember correctly, my roommate wasn’t supposed to be you either. And based on what I heard from your friend; I can tell I wouldn’t be having a great time in your company anyway. So, I’m eager to figure this out.”

“Oh, I’m his brother,” Changkyun said, pointing at Hyungwon.

Kihyun looked at them. “Okay. Nice to meet you, I guess.”

Kihyun returned to his bed to gather more of his clothes. Hyungwon watched Kihyun, trying to ignore the comment the other made. The familiar ringtone of his favorite pop song caught his attention. He reached into his pocket, retrieving his cell phone. Minhyuk greeted him, excited and curious about his whereabouts. They shared a brief conversation and agreed to meet at the housing office.

“My friend is going to meet us at housing,” Hyungwon said, looking at Kihyun.

“Okay.”

“I’m sure housing will have this mix up fixed in no time.”

Kihyun didn’t say anything. Hyungwon smiled, nervously rubbing the back of his neck. The other teen turned toward a desk, grabbing his student id. He slipped the Id on a lanyard around his neck and disappeared out the door without a word. Hyungwon glanced at Changkyun who shrugged his shoulders.

“Do we just leave your stuff here?” Changkyun asked, gesturing toward the bin.

Hyungwon turned toward the bin and pushed it through the door. Surprisingly, the bin fit in the room. He guessed the container wasn’t as wide as he thought. Hyungwon and his brother left the room. He locked the door behind them. The housing office was located ten minutes away from the dorm, so they had to catch a bus. They took the elevator down and met Kihyun at the bus stop outside the building. Kihyun stood several feet away from them, scrolling through his phone.

Changkyun looked at him. “He isn’t very talkative, is he?”

Hyungwon shrugged his shoulders. The bus arrived minutes later, a few students seated inside. Kihyun stepped onto the bus, taking a seat toward the back. Hyungwon took a seat next to his brother. The door closed and the bus started to move. His brother had the window seat, so he kept his attention on the scenery on the window.

“Wow, the campus is beautiful.”

Hyungwon glanced outside and then took a quick look at his cell phone. There was a text from Minhyuk asking if he was close. He sent a quick reply and then glanced at Kihyun. Hyungwon wanted to say something to the other to get rid of the tension, but he didn’t know what to say. He probably could have worded his statement better. But he couldn’t help his initial reaction. Minhyuk and him had been planning to be roommates for years. He had been shocked and disappointed to see the opposite of his wishes.

The bus stopped right in front of housing. They walked up the steps to a red bricked building. A petite woman on the first floor directed them to the second floor. Seconds later, they ended up on the second floor and entered the waiting room. Minhyuk rushed toward him. He spotted another teen walking toward them at a slower pace. He eyed the other boy, remembering him from orientation.

“Wonnie!” Minhyuk hollered, throwing his arms around him.

“Min, why haven’t you been answering your phone?”

“Sorry, my phone died, and I was trying to figure out what happened with the rooming situation but there was no one available to help. Housing was swarmed with people earlier so Soonyoung and I decided to go eat somewhere quick. I wanted to wait for you, but I was hungry. I’m sorry. I know you wanted us to eat after you moved in.”

Hyungwon shook his head. “I’m not mad. Just annoyed.”

Kihyun walked past them and took a seat on one of the chairs.

Minhyuk looked at the other teen, eyes wide. “Oh! I remember him. I’m guessing he is your roommate?”

“Yes, for now.”

“Wow, that’s—uhm interesting.”

“Yeah, interesting, I’m guessing Soonyoung is—”

“Oh, this is my roommate Soonyoung,” Minhyuk said, introducing the boy standing next to him.

Soonyoung stuck out his hand, an enthusiastic smile on his face. “Nice to meet you.”

Hyungwon gave him a quick handshake. “You too! Sorry for this mess by the way. I’m sure the last thing you want to do is move around.”

Soonyoung shrugged his shoulders. “I have a best friend back home. I totally get it. I’d be happy to help.”

Soonyoung gave them both a warm smile and walked toward the counter where a man sat ready to answer questions.

Minhyuk looked at him. “He is so chill. When I explained things to him, he wasn’t bothered at all. I was so worried he’d be offended. How did your roommate take it?”

Hyungwon glanced over his shoulder at Kihyun. The other boy was hunched over his cellphone, poking at the screen. A sigh left his lips. The guilt from before crawled up his throat. He thought back to what he had said and then brushed the memory aside. He turned his attention back to Minhyuk.

“When I explained he was okay with it.”

Minhyuk looked at him unconvinced. His friend opened his mouth to say something but an annoyed groan from Kihyun interrupted him. He looked at Kihyun, eyes narrowed. The other teen stood up, stuffing his cellphone into his pocket. He walked over to them.

“Could we just hurry up and get this over with?” Kihyun asked, voice dripping with annoyance. “I have to prepare myself for the first week of school. And I will be off track if I waste another moment standing here with all of you.”

Hyungwon’s eyes widened at the comment. At one point he had felt sorry for Kihyun, but he was no longer worried. Kihyun may have seemed upset about the room change before but he wasn’t anymore. It was clear the annoying orientation boy was ready to move out and Hyungwon was happy to help him with his bags.

“Right, of course, I’d hate for your precious time to be wasted,” Hyungwon fired back.

“Thank you,” Kihyun said, walking toward the counter.

Minhyuk chuckled.

“I’m ready to get this over with,” Hyungwon said.

A thin man in his late fifties sat on a stool behind a counter. He looked at Soonyoung and Kihyun, perplexed. He turned his attention away from them, and then glanced at his computer screen. Hyungwon didn’t like the look of confusion on the other’s face. The roommate thing should be a simple fix. In fact, the best solution would be for them to switch roommates. Kihyun and Soonyoung can be roommates. Minhyuk and him would be roommates.

“I’m sorry,” the man said, glancing at his screen. “According to my records, the roommate arrangement is correct.”

Soonyoung shook his head. “I think there was a mistake, sir.”

“I do not see the mistake you’ve pointed out to me.”

“Well, obviously, that isn’t right,” Minhyuk said. “I say there is a mistake.”

“Well,” the man said, looking away from his screen. “You all were assigned the correct roommates according to housing.”

“Okay, well that isn’t what it said in the beginning of the summer,” Kihyun stated. “When I first opened my housing account, it said I was going to be Jihoon’s roommate, but that changed right after orientation.”

The man frowned glancing at his screen and then at them. “Well, there is nothing else I can do for you. Unless you all want a room transfer?”

“Yes, there is a solution,” Hyungwon said, pleased. “Do we fill out a form or can we just make a note and leave it with you?”

The man shook his head. “There is a form and a fee.”

Minhyuk crossed his arms, leaning forward. “A fee? How much?”

The man glanced at them. “356,478 won.”

“Each?” Hyungwon asked.

“Yes.”

Hyungwon’s heart stilled. He couldn’t believe they’d each have to pay a ridiculous amount of funds to switch rooms. It wasn’t fair. He chose Minhyuk to be his roommate a while back. It seemed like his request had been granted. But unfortunately, housing ignored his request and placed him with some total stranger. It didn’t make sense.

“But I made a roommate request,” Hyungwon said. “We both did.”

“Well, roommate requests aren’t guaranteed,” he said. “There are many factors that—”

“Factors?” Hyungwon asked. “I checked my housing account months ago and was informed Minhyuk was my roommate. You mean to tell me somehow housing disregarded my request?”

“I know this may be frustrating, but I can’t change policies.”

“Can’t we just switch roommates?” Minhyuk asked.

“Yes, after you pay the fee,” he said. “Listen, the fee is in place for a reason. We’ve had several problems in the past of people abusing room switching. The fee used to be lower but after the incidents the fee jumped. Unless you pay the fee than I can’t allow you to switch roommates. And do not switch roommates yourselves. Housing will know the difference. We have it on record. Now, will you be paying the fee?”

Hyungwon turned around, a lump in his throat. Minhyuk wrapped and arm around Hyungwon’s shoulders. He wished he could pay the fee but getting to University was such a hard task. His parents worked long hours day and night to pay for his university fees. He hated the idea of adding more stress to them. It was why he offered to help with fees with his paycheck from the restaurant. Paying the fee himself was out of the questions as well. He didn’t make enough.

“Hey, Wonnie,” Minhyuk said. “Uhm—I’ll talk to my parents and see –”

“No, Min,” he said, shaking his head. “I’m not going to let your parents pay for both of us."

Minhyuk sighed and then grabbed his shoulders, looking at him. “We said we’d take on the university together, you and I. We were going to be roommates. It had always been one of our dreams. Hyungwon, I’ll talk to my parents. My parents love you they won’t think it is a problem at all.”

“Really it's fine.”

“Hyungwon—”

“Min, no, please,” he said. “I really can’t.”

Minhyuk shoulder’s fell. “Let’s go tell our roommates the new verdict then.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t apologize to me, Wonnie,” he said, voice filled with warmth. “It was no one’s fault. I wouldn’t be surprised if the roommate switch was a computer glitch. Let’s just talk with them and then you and I can hang out.”

Hyungwon nodded, a frown on his lips. He knew it was silly to be so upset. Minhyuk wasn’t going to stop hanging out with him because of the room thing. They would still have time to hang out like they used to back at home. He just wished things were different. But he couldn’t help but still be upset. Minhyuk was his best friend and they promised they’d do the university thing together as much as they could.

“So, what are we doing?” Kihyun asked, looking at him. “I have to pack my things and call my parents to deposit some money in my account for the fee. Packing is going to take so much time, so I rather get started as soon as possible.”

“We aren’t going to do it,” Hyungwon said.

Kihyun eyes widened. “Wait, what? We aren’t switching rooms?”

“Yes.”

“What do you mean yes? Isn’t that what you desperately wanted?”

Hyungwon rubbed the back of his head, a sigh living his lips. He let his arm drop to his side. Minhyuk placed a hand on his left shoulder and gave it a reassuring squeeze. Hyungwon smiled at him. He turned his attention back to Kihyun.

“Unfortunately, I can’t afford the fee right now. So, no I can’t switch rooms.”

Kihyun walked over to him, eyes narrowed. “So, let me get this straight. We came out here to just waste my time?”

Soonyoung walked over to them, a kindness shining from his eyes. “I don’t think it is that big of a deal, right? I mean we will just head back to the dorms and settle in. Nothing to worry about.”

Minhyuk nodded. “Right, plus no one knew the fee would be that high.”

“Ridiculous. It is like you all think I have all the time in the world,” Kihyun said, eyes narrowed. “Absolutely freaking ridiculous. I’m leaving.”

Kihyun brushed past him, knocking his arm with his shoulder. Hyungwon glanced at the door and then Changkyun who hadn’t moved the entire time. His younger brother had his earphones in, bopping his head up and down. Their eyes met. Changkyun pulled his ear pod from his ear just as Kihyun stormed past him and out the door.

Changkyun glanced at the door. “Where is he going?”

“I don’t know,” Hyungwon said. “And to be honest I don’t care.”

“What happened?” Changkyun asked, looking at their faces, confused.

“We aren’t switching,” Minhyuk said.

“What? Why not? You and Min have been talking about being roommates for like years,” he said, stuffing his earphones and his phone in his right pocket. “I mean, hyung, you’d talk my ear off about how great it’d be to go to the same university and room with Minhyuk. Why are you giving up?”

“There is a fee, Changkyun,” Hyungwon said, voice flat.

Changkyun stared at him.

“And so? Like is it a couple won?”

“Not a couple, more like 356,478 won.”

“Oh,” he said, eyes falling to his feet.

Hyungwon sat down next to his brother, exasperated. He wasn't able to pay the fee. And he didn't make a good first impression when he met his roommate. Not to say he cared what the other boy thought. The behavior he witnessed today proved Yoo Kihyun was nothing more than an unreasonable uptight jerk.

“Yeah, there was no way I could pay that fee. I don’t want to do that to mom and dad. They’ve paid so much already. You know we don’t live in the lap of luxury. I can’t ask them to come up with money from nowhere. I can’t do that to them.”

Changkyun nodded. “Yeah, I wouldn’t have asked them either. I get it. So, I guess, what now?”

Hyungwon rubbed his temples, trying to keep himself calm. It wasn’t the end of the world. Minhyuk was still in the same dorm as him. They were still going to hang out like normal. Nothing had to change. He didn’t have to worry about anything. He was fine.

“Come help me unpack,” Hyungwon said, getting to his feet. “It’ll be a couple hours before dad comes to pick you up.”

“I’ll be happy to help too, Wonnie,” Minhyuk said.

“Thanks, Min.”

“If you need more helping hands, I’m down,” Soonyoung said.

“You are welcome to help, but there isn’t much really.”

On their way back to the dorm room, Hyungwon dreaded facing Kihyun. The other guy had been nothing but terrible and he wished he would chill. He admitted he probably shouldn’t have shoved the room change in his face, but he didn’t know how else to approach it. He wanted to room with his best friend and well Kihyun wasn’t his best friend.

A sigh left his lips when he arrived on his floor. He stuck the key in the lock and paused. The chatter behind him stopped. He glanced over his shoulder giving the others a reassuring smile and then opened the door. The room was empty. He guessed Kihyun hadn’t returned to the dorm room. Hyungwon turned to looked at the other occupants of the room.

“Well, let’s get to work. Actually, I'll have to head to my car. I have one more thing.”

“I’ll help you get it Wonnie.”

“I guess I’ll stay here and help you put some stuff away,” Changkyun said, looking at Soonyoung. “Are you still up for helping?”

Soonyoung nodded. “Of course.”

Hyungwon thanked them and headed out the door with Minhyuk. As they traveled down the elevator, he kept silent. All he could think about was the situation at housing. He wondered what the future would hold. A sigh left his lips.

“I don’t really have much in the car, Min. Just one thing,” Hyungwon said. “You really didn’t have to come with me.”

There was a loud ding as the elevator doors opened.

“I know. I came because I wanted to talk to you,” he said. “I can tell you are still bummed. I mean I am too. So, I get it. When I realized something was strange this morning, I really didn’t worry. I figured everything would work out when you arrived later. But it didn’t work out.”

“Yeah.”

Minhyuk shook his head. “I mean Soonyoung is a nice guy, but he is no you. It stinks. We would have been great roommates. But I know we will still be able to hang out.”

Hyungwon stopped at his car, opened the door, and grabbed a medium sized box of school supplies. He thought about what Minhyuk said. He was right. They would have been great.

Hyungwon leant against his car, looking out at the last few cars coming in for move in day. He spotted parents pushing bins with stuff while their children carried even more stuff. A small smile formed on his lips at the sight. It would have been nice for his parents to be around for the move in day. But maybe it was for the best they didn’t come. A lot of unexpected things happened.

“I was just really looking forward to being roommates,” Hyungwon said.

“Same,” Minhyuk replied, glancing at his friend. “Come on, let’s get back to your dorm.”

“Right. We should head back,” Hyungwon said, locking his car.

They walked toward the dorms, Minhyuk excitedly chatting about the future themed nights at the dining hall. A small smile formed on his face as he listened to his friend talk. A part of him was still upset about what happened earlier, but he decided to be optimistic about the situation.

Maybe he wasn’t Minhyuk’s roommate, but that didn’t mean they wouldn’t be able to hang out. He stored the thought away for later. Perhaps, nothing was ruined after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to thank everyone for reading and giving me a kudos and thanks to those who subscribed!
> 
> Kudos and comments are very much appreciated! I am curious to see what you all think about the roommate situation. What do you think about how Hyungwon and Kihyun reacted?
> 
> Note: 356,478=$299.159


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hyungwon's roommate was a mystery.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! I know it's been a long time but I was trying to take time on this chapter. I wasn't sure about somethings so it took a while to post. But here it is! Thanks and hopefully you'll like it!

The once brightly lit sky darkened as the sun disappeared from view. Hyungwon pulled his attention from the window and looked at his cellphone screen. He checked his phone for messages, but Minhyuk hadn’t responded to his latest text yet. A sigh left his lips as his attention drifted toward his roommate. Kihyun sat at his desk hunched over a printed class schedule and a thick black planner. The other teen jotted down a few things, brows furrowed, and lips pressed in a thin line.

A pair of calculating brown eyes looked toward him. “Is there a reason you are staring at me?”

Hyungwon froze at the sudden movement. He turned his stare toward a random spot on the opposite wall, avoiding eye contact. It wasn’t his intention to look for so long. He was only curious about his roommate’s behavior. The first day of school was a few days away but there was no reason to stress out. But it was clear to him his roommate disagreed. He guessed that people worked better under tension. But Hyungwon wasn’t the kind of person that enjoyed pressure on him. Hyungwon knew it would be better to approach the first week of school calmly. He didn’t want to work himself up before the real assignments even began.

“Uhm, don’t we have a floor meeting soon?” Hyungwon asked, checking his time.

Kihyun stopped writing and looked at him. “I’m fully aware of the time and our meeting.”

“Oh, okay.”

Kihyun returned to his previous task. He added all his courses to the schedule section of his planner and proceeded to glance over the syllabi located on his desk. Hyungwon hadn’t even thought to print out his syllabi. Part of him wondered if Kihyun had the right idea. But he quickly pushed the thought from his head. There was no reason to excessively plan.

After a few more minutes the writing stopped, Kihyun arranged the items on his desk into one corner and pushed his chair back. Hyungwon glanced at his own phone, relieved by the time. Their floor meeting was at 6 p.m., so it was time to go soon. He had wanted to hang out in Minhyuk’s room until the meeting, but his best friend had his own floor meeting to attend. It was unfortunate they couldn’t hang sooner, but it was fine. They agreed to meet each other for dinner after their meetings.

Hyungwon emerged from his thoughts at the sound of the door closing. He frowned. It seemed like his roommate already left for the meeting. He was disappointed, but there was no reason for it. The idea of walking to the meeting with his roommate seemed unpleasant. He could never imagine it. His mind wandered to yesterday’s events. No, he could never imagine himself hanging out with his roommate at all.

Hyungwon moved off his, grabbed his cellphone, and then headed out the door. The floor meeting would take place in the study lounged. He remembered spotting the lounge on his way to his room during move in. On his way there, he spotted a few other students exiting their rooms and heading in the same direction as him. The other students waved at him, bright smiles on their faces. He gave them a shy wave back as he walked alongside them toward the study lounge. 

He entered the large study lounge, impressed. His eyes swept around the room, analyzing the set up. There were three restaurant style booths located on the left side of the room. And in the middle, there were a few round tables. On the far right there was a large couch pressed against the wall. A few of his fellow neighbors sat on the couch, talking to each other. He assumed the students in pairs were roommates. Seated at one of the tables was his roommate, Kihyun. He nibbled at his bottom lip, torn. At the last second, he decided to find a place to sit elsewhere. He chose a booth located on the left side of the room.

“Hey everyone. Looks like I got here just in time.”

Hyungwon turned his attention to the warm, smiling face of Nunu or Hyunwoo.The older student stood by the entrance, eyes scanning the area. He had a small clipboard in hand, glancing down the page. He wondered if he planned to take the role. He remembered the email said the meeting was mandatory.

“Okay, I don’t want to take up too much time. So, I’ll try to keep this meeting simple. Some of you may remember me from orientation but for those who don’t. My name is Son Hyunwoo. I’m a senior and your RA for the year. Now there is some important information I want to share with you.”

Hyungwon’s attention drifted as their RA discussed the necessary information for the year. He did his best to pick out some important points before he fully succumbed to his daydreams. It was a tiring day yesterday. Part of him wished the meeting had been on Sunday instead of a Saturday evening. His eyes drifted back to his highly focused roommate. He had a small notebook on the table where he jotted down information. He chuckled at the sight. He wondered if Kihyun had been a teacher’s pet in every grade level.

“Oh! And don’t forget to fill out your roommate agreements and drop them off Sunday. There is a stack of them right there on the table,” he said, gesturing toward the table in front of him.

The meeting had been originally scheduled for last night, but their RA switched it to Saturday evening. He was grateful for the time change because yesterday had been stressful. The memory of what happened reminded him of his situation again. He wished he had the chance to room with his best friend and not a stranger. It was too bad he couldn't switch rooms like he wanted. He returned his attention to their RA, trying his best to focus.

“I’m super excited for this year and I want us to have fun, so I’ll try my best to have activities planned each month. All the activities will be posted on the board out in the hall,” Hyunwoo said. “One last piece of information. By now I’m sure you’ve received an email about the Student Activity Board rescheduling the freshmen welcome party to next weekend. Just wanted to remind you all in case maybe you haven’t checked your email. And I think that’s all I have for you all tonight. I’ll send an email if I remember anything else.”

The chatter in the room started up again as Hyunwoo stood before them. He scratched the back of his neck, a small smile on his lips as he glanced around at them. There was something kind and gentle about their RA. He saw it at orientation, and he could still see it. He grinned. It could still be a good year even with his unreasonable roommate.

“And before you all leave, I want you all to know you can come to me if you have any questions or problems. Consider me as your older brother, if you want.”

Hyungwon smiled at the shy smile on the other’s face. He had never had an older brother before, so he was intrigued by the offer. As an older brother himself, he tried his best to guide Changkyun. It would be nice to get advice from someone grades ahead of him. Once Hyunwoo dismissed them, Kihyun grabbed an agreement sheet and left. A sigh left his lips. Maybe Hyungwon would need advice a lot earlier than he expected.

On his way out the door, he sent a quick text to Minhyuk. His best friend replied back, a large smile on his lips. He was eager to sit down with his friend and forget about the situation he was in. Although, it was hard to ignore his roommate. It was hard to ignore someone whose actions spoke louder than words.

Hyungwon pocketed his phone. He pulled his key from his pocket and slipped it in the lock, opening the door. Once he entered, he was met with Kihyun sitting on his side of the room, legs crossed. The other teen looked up at him and then turned to his cell phone. Hyungwon walked toward his bed and took a seat.

“Let’s do the roommate agreement,” Kihyun said.

“Right now?”

“I don’t procrastinate.”

“Right, okay, I guess I understand that.”

Kihyun sat on the floor between their beds, the agreement on the ground. Hyungwon joined him on the floor. His eyes focused on the long sheet of paper. He hoped the agreement wouldn’t take too long. Sitting with his room was always a tension filled experience. He preferred to be anywhere else but sitting in front of Kihyun.

Kihyun pointed at a section on the sheet. “I think we should start with the section about visitors.”

Hyungwon nodded. “Okay, yeah makes sense. Well, I’m okay with visitors.”

“I see. Well, I am not okay with late night visits,” Kihyun said, placing the tip of the pen on the sheet. “So no to visitors after seven.”

Hyungwon raised a single brow. Although the time was early, he decided to look on the Brightside. At least, he didn’t have to worry about Kihyun bringing anyone over super late. His roommate jotted down the rules in neat, precise handwriting, leaving no room for any spelling mistakes.

“Okay, lights off before 10,” Hyungwon said, glancing at another section.

Kihyun glanced at him. “That unfortunately will not work. I’ll probably stay up late to study. I’ll have a lot of late nights. You can’t expect me to study in the dark. That’s ridiculous.”

Hyungwon looked at him. “I never said you had to study in the dark. That would make no sense. I mean if you need to go to the library after 10 p.m. that’s your business.”

“Why do I have to leave the room?” he asked, eyes on him. “I’m paying for the room too.”

“Because, I don’t want to sleep with the light on. I have a hard time falling asleep that way. Besides, I’m not going to sleep somewhere else so you can study.”

Hyungwon crossed his arms waiting for Kihyun to write down the rules for lights out. For a second his roommate hesitated but then finally he complied. Kihyun took his pen and wrote down the rules. Hyungwon snorted. He never imagined the roommate agreement would be such a hard task. If he was Min’s roommate there wouldn’t be a problem.

“Okay, what’s next?” Hyungwon asked.

Kihyun pointed the tip of his pen at the cleaning section.

“Cleanliness is very important to me,” Kihyun said, taking a lone sock from the ground and tossing it his way. “And I’d appreciate it if you respected that. And that means not dropping your clothes everywhere. I shouldn’t be finding your socks littered on the ground. If I find your underwear next, I’ll—”

“I’m not a slob so you don’t have to worry about that. And ask for the socks. It’s a couple of socks. It happens.”

“Well, for the sake of my sanity it shouldn’t just ‘happen’,” Kihyun said, eyes back on the sheet. “Great. Thanks, roomie."

Hyungwon narrowed his eyes. “Listen, I understand you like being clean. I get that. But I don’t get why you are acting this way toward me. You are stressing out about the littlest things.”

“What are you talking about? We are literally filling out a roommate agreement. I don’t want my preferences to be ignored. And the only way that’ll happen is if I’m clear and to the point. If you don’t like that, well that’s just unfortunate because I won’t have you walk all over me.”

“Walk all over you? When did I say that was my plan? I didn’t come to university to walk all over anyone.”

“No, you are right I'm sorry. Actually your plan was to be roommates with your friend. Well, you ended up with me. But don’t worry, after next semester we don’t have to see each other ever again.”

Hyungwon frowned, lips pressed in a thin line. He wanted to comment on the statement but decided to let it go. He wanted to finish the agreement so he could meet up with Minhyuk for dinner. The faster they finish, the faster he can leave. Once they went through the rest of the sections, they signed their names.

“Okay, good. Then I can turn this into Hyunwoo hyung tomorrow,” Kihyun said, walking toward his desk.

“Right, sounds good.”

Kihyun stopped in front of his desk and glanced over his shoulder. Cold brown eyes stared back at him, analyzing him. They broke eye contact seconds later. Kihyun opened his drawer and placed the agreement inside. He then sat upon his bed and stretched out, sighing from relief.

Hyungwon remained seated on the floor, speechless. He had never met someone so rigid like a block of ice. He frowned and then looked at his cellphone. Minhyuk’s text shined on the screen confirming their plans. He was ready to leave his room. Hyungwon paused at the door, hand on the doorknob.

“I’m going to eat with Minhyuk. I’ll be back.”

Hyungwon wanted to make it a habit of informing his roommate about his whereabouts. He heard it was the wise thing to do. His roommate didn’t respond. Honestly, Hyungwon didn’t expect him to say a word. He locked the door behind him and headed toward his best friend’s dorm room so they could travel to the dining hall together.

* * *

Hyungwon dropped his backpack on the floor of Minhyuk’s dorm room. The first day of class was hours and hours of information about what to expect in his classes. He expected the rest of the week to be just as dull. Despite the drawn-out introductory information, he was excited about all of his courses. Actually, math was the exception. He wasn’t excited about math at all.

Minhyuk shut the door behind them and then dropped down on his bed next to Hyungwon. He was happy he was in the same dorm building as his best friend. Even though they weren’t roommates, it was to know they could still hang out easily. He imagined his situation could be worse. There were two other freshman buildings and they had to rank them in the housing application. They could have ended up in separate buildings.

“Where is Soonyoung?” he asked, sitting down on Minhyuk’s twin sized bed.

“He has history at this time,” Minhyuk stated, placing his phone on his desk between the beds. “He said he’ll meet us later for dinner. He has two more courses almost back to back.”

Hyungwon shook his head. “I like having gaps in my schedule. I’m glad I’m done for the day.”

“How is your roommate?”

Hyungwon raised a single brow. “What about him?”

Minhyuk shrugged his shoulders and then picked up an unwrapped candy bar from his desk. “I don’t know. Just curious.”

“Roommate is—I don’t know. We barely talk to each other. He is a bio major, so he has a ridiculous schedule or something. Oh! Get this! He woke me up at 7 a.m. in the morning with the most obnoxious alarm ever. All I could think while half asleep was, why so early?”

“Maybe he has a 9 a.m. class,” Minhyuk said.

Hyungwon groaned. “I should have mentioned that in the roommate agreement. I should have put it under special rules, no obnoxious morning alarm please.”

“I mean, I guess,” Minhyuk said.

Hyungwon frowned at his friend. It sounded like his best friend was siding with the enemy from the way he was responding. He pushed the thought aside. Minhyuk probably had a lot to think about with the start of the semester. His friend was always supportive.

“OH! Did I tell you what he said to me after he turned in the agreement?”

Minhyuk shook his head. “No. What did he say?”

“He told me he didn’t like me and wasn’t going to pretend to like me,” Hyungwon said. “Who says that to someone’s face? I didn’t even say anything to him when he came back. He just said it out of nowhere.”

“Wow, that’s super rude.”

“Right?” Hyungwon said. “Personally, I don’t care if he doesn’t like me. We don’t have to talk. But why did he tell me that to my face? What a weirdo.”

“Maybe you should talk to your RA. He seems like a really nice guy. Maybe he can give you advice?”

Hyungwon glanced at his friend. “About what?”

“Like, I mean if Kihyun is going to be a problem,” Minhyuk said, concerned. “I have this classmate in my Introduction to Media Studies course, and he is having huge problems with his roommate. They have been fighting since they met. He says he is going to get a transfer, but I don’t know.”

“Well, you know I can’t get a transfer, Min,” Hyungwon said. “I’m just going to ignore him.”

“I’m sorry this is happening to you.”

Hyungwon waved the problem aside. “Like my father said, challenges make you stronger. Actually, if things get worse, then I’ll be so strong they’ll have to call me muscle king.”

Minhyuk snorted. Hyungwon grinned. It was nice to make his friend laugh. He appreciated the concern, but he didn’t want his friend to worry. There was no reason to worry.

“Besides, what I am going through right now I give it a low rating of 1 for seriousness. When I reach level 5 issues I’ll talk to my RA.”

“Promise?” Minhyuk asked. “Hey, you could always crash here more. You know Soonyoung isn’t going to care.”

Hyungwon smiled. The offer was tempting but he declined. Besides, he knew there would be many obstacles in university. He never imagined he’d face his problems early, but he was ready. He wasn’t going to back down from a challenge. He’d do his best to tolerate his first roommate. After a year he wouldn’t have to worry about his roommate. Next fall he would be able to be Minhyuk’s roommate when they were sophomores. He could handle Kihyun for a whole year.

Hyungwon rested his back against the wall behind him. “Are you excited for the party this weekend for freshmen?”

“Yes, I heard they’ll be giveaways. Did you see the flyer? It says they are giving away the newest iPad,” Minhyuk said.

“Really? I must have missed that on the flyer.”

“Yeah! A tablet would be great. Let’s make sure one of us wins.”

Hyungwon chuckled, glancing at his friend. “What? We can’t just decide we are going to win. We just have to be lucky.”

“Right, true. Well, they’ll be a dance battle too, Wonnie,” he said. “You should most definitely participate.”

Hyungwon nodded, excited for the upcoming party. It would be fun to participate in a dance battle. An upbeat pop song filled the atmosphere as his phone vibrated in his pocket. A familiar name flashed across the screen. He pressed the video call button. Jooheon’s bright, smiling face appeared. He moved closer to his friend to get him in frame.

“Honey!” Minhyuk hollered, waving.

“Hyungs!” Jooheon hollered, “I miss you both! Drop out of college and come back to me.”

Hyungwon snorted. “No can do. How about you come visit us one of the days instead?”

Jooheon pondered as if he was thinking hard about it. Hyungwon rolled his eyes. Seconds later, Jooheon agreed enthusiastically and then proceeded to ask them many questions about university. They happily obliged answering questions to the best of their ability. Hyungwon of course left out the details about the roommate situation but was happy to answer all other questions.

* * *

Minhyuk frowned at the happy freshman waving the iPad box in the air, shouting victory. Hyungwon chuckled, giving his friend’s shoulder a reassuring squeeze. He knew how much Minhyuk wanted to win the tablet. He understood. Tablets were expensive, so winning one would have been amazing. He grabbed Minhyuk’s arm and pulled him away from the small table where the raffle tickets had been. The volunteer students set up the freshmen welcome party in the student center activity room. He heard most of the campus activities would be held there.

Hyungwon searched for the room he spotted earlier that kept all the food. He remembered peeking into a brightly decorated room on their way to the main activity room. His stomach grumbled as the scent of greasy pizza filled his nose. He hoped he would be able to grab a slice of his preferred topping choice. There was no way he was going to eat any veggie options.

After a few minutes, Minhyuk spotted the room. His best friend wrapped his fingers around his left wrist and pulled him in the right direction. Once inside, he noticed the large ‘Welcome Freshmen’ banners decorating the walls. Bright yellow, green, and blue streamers lay upon all the tables in the room, a few spilling onto the floor. Minhyuk suggested they seat in the current room because there was more space. Hyungwon agreed. The activity room had plenty of seating, but he preferred the less crowded room as a place to eat.

Hyungwon approached the table, analyzing the pizza boxes, little vanilla cupcakes, chocolate chip cookies, and bowls of potato chips. On his left, Minhyuk grabbed two slices of bulgogi pizza. Hyungwon joined him, reaching the same pizza choice. He was eager to grab a seat and start eating. His stomach grumbled. After they gathered their food, they selected an empty table near a large group of girls and boys, chatting and laughing loudly. At another table a few students huddled together to take a selfie.

Hyungwon could still hear the heavy bass of the music from the main room. He was eager to get back to the activities after he ate. There are so many events planned for the night. The Freshmen Welcome party was a great way for him to take his mind off of things. He tore a piece out of his pizza and chewed.

“Hey, isn’t that your roommate?” Minhyuk asked.

Hyungwon looked up from his meal, eyes landing upon his roommate. Kihyun held a plate consisting of two pizzas and a single cupcake. He stood, searching the room. Hyungwon wondered who his roommate was hoping to find. Maybe Kihyun’s friends promised to meet him. Hyungwon pushed his thoughts aside. It didn’t matter what the other teen was doing. They weren’t really friends anyway. He returned his focus to his meal. After a short while, he lifted his gaze from his pizza again and searched for Kihyun. Over his shoulder, he noticed the other teen seated at a table located in the far corner of the room. 

Minhyuk followed the direction of his stare, noticed Kihyun and then looked back at him. “Should we maybe—”

“No, we shouldn’t. Besides, I know he saw us. We aren’t hiding. If he wants to sit alone, he can. I’m not going to worry about it,” Hyungwon said, turning back around. “Anyway, let’s hurry. I think I hear them making an announcement about the next event.”

Hyungwon focused his attention back on his food, ignoring the nagging feeling in his heart. Once they were done eating, he decided to grab one last cupcake before he left the room. As he left the room, he couldn’t help feeling a little bit like a jerk. He pushed his feelings aside. Kihyun could have sat with them, but he chose not to. The guilt buried deep within his heart, lessened by a little bit when he remembered his roommate’s behavior.

Once they sat down amongst other freshmen to watch the arm- wrestling tournament, his guilty feelings left him. Instead he focused on having a good time with his best friend. Besides, Kihyun didn’t like him, and the feelings were mutual, so he shouldn’t be worried about him. No, he wasn’t worried about him at all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to thank everyone for the support. I truly appreciate it. I'm curious to see what you all think. All comments and kudos are super appreciated. Hope you all have a good day!


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hyungwon couldn't believe it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! Finally I've been able to get around to an update. I'm excited to share with you all!

Hyungwon couldn’t wait for the weekend. The second week of school was more work than the first and he still wasn’t used to his roommate. In fact, his roommate had made it his mission to aggravate him every day. He was certain the shorter teen had “anger Hyungwon” written in his school planner. At one point he hoped his roommate would eventually chill out, but he never did.

Hyungwon sighed, pushing his disappointment aside. He decided to focus on the present. His good friend Jooheon was on his way over to visit. A week ago, Minhyuk suggested they invite Jooheon down for the weekend. He agreed and specified Jooheon should visit sooner than later due to the possibility of their schedules being packed in the future.

“I can’t wait to give Honey a tour,” Minhyuk said, walking toward their dorm from the campus bus. “There is so much to show him.”

“I know! It is going to be such a great weekend. Too bad he can’t stay over too long,” Hyungwon said.

Minhyuk agreed. “Oh well, one day of hanging out is better than nothing.”

Hyungwon pulled open the door and entered their dorm building. Minhyuk followed closely behind, discussing the plans they had prepared. They arrived at the elevator lobby. Hyungwon pressed the button, signaling the elevator to come to the first floor. His mind wandered to his assignments. There was still so much work that needed to be done. He knew he had to get his assignments done early so he could hang out all Friday with Jooheon and Minhyuk.

“I think the campus theatre is playing Train to Busan this weekend. We could maybe watch that this Friday too!” Minhyuk said, voice filled with excitement.

Hyungwon glanced at Minhyuk. “Really Train to Busan? I love that movie!”

The sound of a bell caught his attention. He turned his eyes toward the elevator doors sliding open. They entered the elevator. Hyungwon rested his back to the wall. A tiny smile formed on his lips. He knew it was going to be a great weekend.

* * *

Friday afternoon Hyungwon threw open his door and rushed out of his room, eyes focused on his cellphone. He lifted his eyes from his device once he heard his name being called. There in the hall stood his best friend Minhyuk, waving his right arm in the air.

“Honey is five minutes away, come on let’s go!”

Hyungwon nodded, jogging to catch up with his friend. “Hopefully we can get downstairs before he arrives. I don’t want him to wait too long for us.”

“We’ll make it,” Minhyuk said.

They rushed toward the elevator lobby where two elevators resided. Minhyuk pressed the button for the elevator and stepped back, eyes drifting to his phone in his right hand. Hyungwon glanced at his own phone, looking for new messages from Jooheon. Once the elevator arrived, they entered and pressed the button for the first floor.

Hyungwon and Minhyuk exited the building just as a small red SUV pulled up. The car’s window rolled down revealing a large sparkling smile and two familiar twin dimples. Minhyuk ran ahead of him, shouting Honey at the top of his lungs. Hyungwon ran after him just as excited about their reunion.

“Hyungs!” Jooheon shouted, throwing open the door and running toward them.

Minhyuk got to Jooheon first, throwing his arms around the younger teen. Hyungwon arrived only a second later, joining the hug. After their enthusiastic greeting, Hyungwon turned to Mrs. Lee sitting in the car. She turned off the ignition, waved, and exited her vehicle.

Mrs. Lee was a short woman with a round face and a warm smile. Over the years, she had become a third mother to him. It was always nice to see her. After closing her car door, she walked over to them and began to ask them several questions about how they were doing.

“School has been a lot of work,” Hyungwon replied, arms crossed.

She nodded. “Well, try to get some rest and eat well okay? You as well Minhyuk.”

Minhyuk beamed, eyes twinkling.

“Of course, Mrs. Lee.”

Mrs. Lee placed a gentle kiss to Jooheon’s cheek, reminding him to stay in contact. She turned to them and smiled. Hyungwon returned the smile as he watched her get back in her car. She rolled down her window and told them she would stop by in the early afternoon to pick up Jooheon. Hyungwon and Minhyuk nodded, waving as she drove away. Jooheon turned toward them after waving goodbye to his mother. The younger boy adjusted the backpack hanging off his right shoulder, eyes searching his surroundings.

“Wow! So, this is University?”

Minhyuk nodded, gesturing toward the dorms. “Yes. And this magical place is our dorms. Let’s head inside.”

They walk down the path toward the dorm entrance. Hyungwon pulled out his cellphone and checked the campus movie theatre website. After a quick glance, he pocketed his phone. He noticed Minhyuk and Jooheon were further ahead, so he broke into a light jog to catch up with them.

“I checked the times on the campus theatre website,” Hyungwon said, walking beside them. “The movie is soon.”

“I wish I could have come over earlier.,” Jooheon said. “School today felt like it was going to go on forever.”

“I agree,” Minhyuk said, entering the building and pressing the elevator button. “I was so excited for today I could hardly sit still through my classes.”

Hyungwon agreed. He was so excited to see his best friend that it had been difficult to pay attention in his classes. After his experiences with his roommate, he was happy to have some time to relax and hang out with his best friends. Once they got inside, they headed to his room to drop off Jooheon’s things. Hyungwon stuck his key in the door and unlocked it.

“Wow! The room is small,” Jooheon said, putting his backpack on the floor by the door.

“Hey! I don’t need to be reminded of that,” Hyungwon said.

Jooheon laughed as he exited the room. He took off in a run down the hall. Minhyuk glanced at him, a small smile on his face. Things seemed so normal in the moment that he forgot about his situation with his roommate. They met Jooheon seconds later in the elevator lobby. Once an elevator arrived, they entered inside and traveled to the first floor. There was bus waiting for them once they got off the elevator.

“This movie is going to be great!” Jooheon said, walking onto the bus. “I’m usually too scared to watch movies like this, but Train to Busan is too good to pass up.”

“Maybe if you watch this movie enough, you’ll be able to watch other ones?” Minhyuk asked.

Jooheon took a seat in the far back, eyes narrowed. “Of course not! I can’t do all the scary movies. Just Busan.”

Hyungwon shook his head from disbelief. “I can’t believe you are okay with Train to Busan, a zombie movie but you won’t watch anything else.”

“Like I said, its too good to pass up!”

Minhyuk snickered.

“You are right, Wonnie. It doesn’t make sense.”

Hyungwon smiled and then turned to the window on his left, watching the scenery outside. The bus pulled up to the student center and they rushed out. They had a few minutes left before the movie started. Minhyuk bought their tickets while Hyungwon offered to buy the snacks.

Inside the theatre, they found seats toward the middle of the theatre. They shuffled past excited university students who were seated and waiting for the movie. Once they took a seat, the lights started to dim. Hyungwon handed Jooheon some popcorn. Their younger friend thanked them both profusely.

“It’s no problem, Honey,” Hyungwon said, voice warm.

“Anything for our sweet friend,” Minhyuk said.

Jooheon grinned and then turned toward the screen just as the movie started. Hyungwon glanced at Jooheon and then Minhyuk. Both of his friends were focused on the beginning of the screen. A tiny smile formed on his lips as he focused on the movie.

* * *

After a short dinner at a small dining hall near the theatre, Hyungwon was ready to relax in his dorm and chat with his friends. The bus pulled up to the bus stop located in front of their dorm. Hyungwon got up from his seat, telling his friends it was time to leave. Minhyuk and Jooheon stopped their heated argument about the campus milkshakes and followed him off the bus. The argument picked up once they arrived on his floor.

“Min, you can’t be serious? Nothing is better than a milkshake from Sweet Eats. We’ve been going there for years. How can you say campus milkshakes are better?”

Minhyuk shrugged. “I just found new favorites on campus.”

“Hyung, are you hearing this?”

Hyungwon shook his head a tiny smile on his lips. He put his key in the lock and opened the door. He frowned. Located on the right side of the room was Kihyun. His roommate stared at him as he sat on his carefully dressed bed. Hyungwon nibbled at his bottom lip, an awkward silence settling between them. He hadn’t mentioned his strained relationship to Jooheon yet. He was hoping Kihyun wouldn’t be around when his younger friend visited.

“Uhm so,” Hyungwon said, gesturing toward Jooheon. “This is my other best friend, Jooheon. Jooheon this is Kihyun my roommate.”

Jooheon nodded and then spoke. “Hey! Nice to meet you!”

“Nice to meet you?”

Hyungwon frowned. Kihyun’s response was a question most definitely not a statement. He wondered if his roommate had somewhere to be soon. Part of him wanted to ask but he decided against it. He didn’t want to be unnecessarily rude, despite not receiving the same curtesy in return.

“Are you picking something up?” Kihyun asked, turning his eyes to his cellphone.

“Picking what up?” Hyungwon asked, voice laced with confusion.

“Oh! I thought maybe your friends forgot something.”

Hyungwon tilted his head to the side, confused. He analyzed the statement to see if there was an insult hidden within the sentence, but he couldn’t find one. A sigh left his lips as he walked over to his bed. There was no reason to overanalyze Kihyun’s behavior for anything sinister. Perhaps, he genuinely thought his friends forgot something.

Hyungwon took a seat on his bed, inviting his friends to do the same. They squeezed onto the small bed. Kihyun continued to stare them down from his bed. Hyungwon frowned.

“So, uhm,” Jooheon said, looking at Kihyun. “What is your major?”

Hyungwon relaxed as Kihyun turned to Jooheon. It was a harmless question, a normal curiosity. Surely there wouldn’t be an issue. He reclined against the wall.

“I’m a biology major, pre-med concentration.”

“Whoa!” Jooheon shouted. “That’s tough! Hey, Wonnie hyung, didn’t you say Changkyun was interested in medicine?”

Hyungwon was about to reply to his friend’s answer but he stopped. His eyes drifted toward Kihyun’s current expression of displeasure as he glanced at his watch. Hyungwon wondered if maybe the other teen had somewhere to be and was just killing time in their dorm. He wouldn’t admit it out loud, but he hoped it was the case. Honestly, he wasn’t interested in sharing the dorm with Kihyun and his judgmental stare.

On his right, his friends started to discuss Jooheon’s high school misadventures. He turned to them, ready to give his input. Jooheon had met some interesting characters after they graduated. He laughed loudly as Jooheon changed his subject to his growing annoyance with Changkyun. Hyungwon couldn’t wait for their feud to stop.

“Hyungwon.”

Hyungwon glanced at his roommate. “Yes?”

“What time is it?”

Hyungwon glanced at the clock on his desk, confused. He didn’t understand the question. There was an alarm clock in plain sight. He wondered why his roommate couldn’t look at the watch on his wrist or the clock. It would be so easy for him to turn his head and glance at the time himself but yet he was asking him. Kihyun also had his phone by his side. He didn’t understand why his roommate was asking him the time. It was strange.

“10 p.m,” Hyungwon said.

“Oh, so you know the time.”

“What? What is that supposed to mean?”

“I just wanted to make sure you knew how to read the time because from what I’m seeing you don’t.”

Minhyuk snorted.

“Okay, maybe just tell me what your problem is instead of being rude about it,” Hyungwon said, arms crossed.

“My problem is we had an agreement and you forgot.”

Hyungwon searched his mind but he found nothing. He glared at his roommate, annoyed. Kihyun had no right to talk about the agreement when he refused to turn off his lamp at the correct time. His roommate was ridiculous if he thought he could ignore what they agreed upon.

“Its seven o’ clock, Hyungwon. We had a deal.”

Hyungwon’s eyes widened from realization. “You can’t be serious, Kihyun. My friend is visiting.”

Jooheon reached out, placing a hand on his shoulder. “What is happening?”

“Nothing. I just—nothing.”

“Hey, Ki,” Minhyuk said. “Jooheon is visiting us and we are just hanging out. Its been a while and—”

“First, don’t call me Ki. We aren’t friends,” Kihyun said, interrupting. “Second, I wasn’t informed of this decision to have visitors over. And if I remember correctly, I put some careful rules in place to ensure visitors come around at a certain time.”

Hyungwon thought back to their arrival. Kihyun’s question started to make sense. The other boy wanted to know why he was bringing visitors over past seven. He gritted his teeth from annoyance. The other teen was such a thorn in his side.

“So, I don’t get it,” Jooheon said. “What is the issue? Its like the weekend. We are just chilling, good vibes only, you know?”

“I don’t care if it’s the weekend,” Kihyun said, and then looked at Hyungwon. “I don’t want your friends here, Hyungwon.”

Hyungwon clenched his fists by his sides and then unclenched them as he stood up. “You are unbelievable. You really are unbelievable.”

Kihyun’s glare deepened as Hyungwon approached him. He stopped right in front of the other’s bed, anger growing within his heart. He couldn’t believe his roommate decided to be rude in front of his friends. His roommate could have let everything go but he chose to be unreasonable once again.

“You know? I pity you. It is obvious to me that you don’t have friends. Which I’m not surprised. Who would be friends with an uptight, inconsiderate, annoying little beast like you? No one that’s who because you are rotten. Keep pretend to text someone, you aren’t fooling me.”

Kihyun’s eyes widened. Silence fell upon them as the last statement hung in the air between them. Hyungwon uncrossed his arms and took a large step back. He turned his attention away from Kihyun’s shocked face to Jooheon calling his name.

“Yes, Honey?”

“Maybe we should go, hyung. We can go to Minhyuk hyung’s room. I’d like to meet Soonyoung too,” Jooheon said.

“Right, right okay,” Hyungwon said, eyes returning to Kihyun.

Kihyun sat, eyes shining with emotions Hyungwon didn’t want to take the time to identify. Before he could think too much about what he said, he turned away. What he had said was terrible and he knew it. But he brushed the moment aside. Jooheon was right. They should go to Minhyuk’s room, but he hated the idea that he was allowing Kihyun to kick them out.

“Soonyoung is pretty cool,” Minhyuk said, voice barely a whisper. “He is excited to meet, Honey. We should go.”

Hyungwon nodded in agreement. They would leave for the rest of the night. On his way to the door, he looked over his shoulder. Kihyun made eye contact with him for a second before he went back to furiously texting on his cell phone. Jooheon picked up his backpack and headed out the door. Hyungwon exited his room and locked the door not saying a word to his roommate as he left.

“So,” Jooheon said, looking at Minhyuk. “Where is your room, hyung?”

Hyungwon didn’t say anything all the way to Minhyuk’s room and no one commented on it. He preferred the silence. He didn’t know why he couldn’t forget what he said to his roommate. Kihyun deserved the rudeness but at the same time he was torn. He just wasn’t used to butting heads with someone so intensely. A sigh left his lips as he leant against the elevator wall.

“You okay, hyung?” Jooheon asked.

Hyungwon broke out of his trance and nodded. “Yeah, I’m fine. Let’s go hang out in Minhyuk’s room.”

Jooheon nodded, smiling and then turned to chat with Minhyuk. Hyungwon released another sigh. Perhaps time away from his room would help him get rid of the lingering guilt.

* * *

“Hyung?”

Hyungwon looked away from the television in Minhyuk’s dorm and toward Jooheon. They all crammed on Minhyuk’s bed, watching television. Soonyoung sat down on the other bed, shoving candy pieces into his mouth.

“I just don’t get it,” Jooheon said, brows furrowed. “Why was he so mad?”

Hyungwon groaned at the memory of his friend’s encounter with Kihyun.

“Hyungwon’s roommate isn’t very nice, Honey,” Minhyuk said. “When we had orientation, he was in our group. He was so uptight. At first, I wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt, but I don’t know anymore. He has been giving Wonnie such a hard time.”

Jooheon looked at him. “I’m so sorry, hyung.”

Hyungwon shrugged, eyes drifting toward the television. “I tried to transfer in the beginning because I knew our rooming situation was a mistake. Sadly, the fee was too high. Maybe I should have switched rooms anyway.”

“Is it true?”

“What?” Hyungwon asked.

“Is it true that he has no friends?”

Hyungwon paused. He wished he knew how to answer Jooheon. Everything he had said an hour ago had been unnecessary. Yes, he was furious but fighting fire with fire never solved problems. He shouldn’t have yelled at Kihyun.

Hyungwon looked at Jooheon.

“I don’t know, Honey,” Hyungwon said. “Kihyun never invites anyone over. By now I should have met Kihyun’s friends. But no one has stopped by. And I’ve seen him around campus a few times. He is always alone.”

“Oh,” Jooheon said. “I can’t imagine not having friends in university. That must suck.”

Hyungwon frowned, thinking about Jooheon’s words. It was true. It must be difficult to be on campus without any friends. Not everyone was lucky enough to end up at the same university as their best friend. But for the most part freshmen were able to connect with other freshmen during orientation or the first couple of weeks.

“Well his personality is probably not helping him make friends,” Minhyuk stated.

“True,” Jooheon said.

“Well, since my roommate is against visitors,” Hyungwon said, changing the topic. “I guess Honey is staying the night here. I’ll head back to my dorm later and we’ll all meet in the morning for breakfast.”

Soonyoung looked away from the screen. “You can stay here too if you want. My friend Jihoon is on the top floor and I could crash there, and you can take my bed to spread out.”

“No, I couldn’t kick you out of your room.”

Soonyoung shook his head. “Please, I’m fine. Plus, you got kicked out technically.”

“Yeah, I guess. Okay, I’ll take you up on the offer,” Hyungwon said. “If that is okay with you.”

Soonyoung nodded. “Yeah, I’m fine with it. Later tonight I’ll get a few things and head out.”

“Thanks, Soonyoung, you don’t have to,” Minhyuk said.

“Really, its fine.”

Hyungwon grinned. Soonyoung was so understanding. Minhyuk was lucky to have such a kind roommate. He wished he was lucky as well. But unfortunately, his luck had run out the moment he got Kihyun as his roommate. A sigh left his lips as he turned his attention back to the television.

* * *

Soonyoung got up from his bed two hours later, announced he would be leaving, and grabbed his schoolbag. The other teen moved around the room collecting a few essentials and tossing them in his bag. Once he had finished, he waved goodbye and headed out. The door closed behind him. On his right, Jooheon and Minhyuk tapped at their phones. Hyungwon rested his back against the wall, glancing at his cellphone and then turned back to the television.

“It’s too bad I have to leave in the morning,” Jooheon said.

“Yeah,” Hyungwon agreed. “It is too bad. But hey, maybe you can come down another time.”

“What is all this sad talk for?” Minhyuk asked, looking up from his cellphone. “Jooheon isn’t leaving yet. Let’s just make the most of tonight.”

“I agree,” Hyungwon said.

Minhyuk was right. He would just enjoy the rest of the night with his friends. On his right, Minhyuk started up a conversation about what they should do on their next visit home. As they talked, Hyungwon thought back to what happened not too long ago. He couldn’t believe how rude Kihyun had been to his friends. But at the same time, he was just as shocked with what he had said to his roommate. It was like Kihyun had the special ability to pull the ugliest words out of him.

“Hyung?”

Hyungwon turned to Jooheon. “Yes.”

“Is everything okay? You got really quiet?”

“Oh, sorry Honey,” he said. “What did I miss?”

Minhyuk snorted. “Jooheon was just telling us they opened up a new escape room near home. We were planning to check it out on our next holiday break.”

“An escape room, really?”

Jooheon nodded. “I haven’t been yet. I’m waiting to go with you and Minhyuk hyung.”

Hyungwon grinned, throwing his arms around Jooheon. His younger friend whined as he struggled to escape his embrace. Minhyuk threw his arms around them both, laughing up a storm. His heart warmed at the carefree sound. A sense of peace washed over him. It didn’t matter that his roommate situation was less than ideal. He knew everything would be alright because he had his best friends by his side.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi again! I hope you all enjoyed the chapter. It was tense, wasn't it? 
> 
> First I want to thank all my readers, those leaving comments and kudos. You all put a large smile on my face. Thank you for the support!

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading my new fic!


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